Israel reopened the main goods crossing into the Gaza Strip on Tuesday under foreign pressure, letting truckloads of flour, rice and cooking oil pass after Palestinian officials and aid groups warned of food shortages.
The UN aid agency which provides food to more than half of Gaza's 1.4 million Palestinians said the reopening of the Karni crossing was welcome news but that the terminal was still operating only at 10 percent of capacity.
"We have shortages of all the essential commodities and ... 10 percent of capacity is not going to meet the need," said John Ging, director of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
The Karni crossing has frequently been closed by Israel since early January despite an agreement brokered by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to boost the flow of goods into and out of Gaza after Israel's withdrawal last year.
Israeli defence officials said the closures were in response to security threats, but many Palestinians called them punishment for electing Hamas in January's parliamentary poll.
The Karni crossing was reopened on Monday, but for less than an hour. Only six trucks made it through and Palestinian officials complained that Israel let in shipments of Coca-Cola instead of flour urgently needed by poorer Gazans.
Karni was reopened again at around 11 am (0900 GMT) on Tuesday and a Palestinian security officer said cargo trucks containing flour, rice and cooking oil passed through. Karni has been closed for 50 days since early January, according to Palestinian estimates.
Comments
Comments are closed.